A family business needed a headquarters, and Australian builder Ray Hollingsworth had an unconventional solution: build a castle. The result is a three-storey, castle-style home in Warrnambool, Victoria, featuring a moat, a keep, a dungeon-themed games room and gargoyles that release water when it rains. Hollingsworth, who has worked as a builder for more than five decades, built the castle for his eldest son, Richard. It serves as a home for Richard and his wife and as a base for the brothers’ tabletop war-gaming business. ABC News reported on the project in December 2025, noting the family’s shared interest in medieval stories and fantasy.
Why an Australian builder turned a family business headquarters into a medieval castle for his son
The idea grew out of a practical need. Richard and his brothers run a tabletop war-gaming business, and Hollingsworth thought they needed an appropriate headquarters. He proposed building a castle. The family had long been interested in knights, dragons and medieval fantasy. Richard’s wedding in 2025 also had a medieval theme. Hollingsworth built the property for Richard, his eldest son. The family’s connection to the building extends beyond its construction: the brothers use the basement for their business, while Richard and his wife have made the castle their home. Richard told ABC that the property was a dream come true, both as a place to live and as a base for their work.
Reclaimed church doors, cemetery fencing and an English Axminster carpet add character to the castle
The project took shape over several years, with the design evolving as construction progressed. Some of its features came from reclaimed materials rather than purpose-made fittings. The entrance incorporates doors sourced from an old church in a nearby town. Wrought-iron fencing recovered from a cemetery was also put to use, while the Axminster carpet had to be brought over from England after a wait of several months. Hollingsworth also received a full suit of armour as a birthday present. The design evolved as the project progressed. Richard told ABC that the keep was a later addition that made the building feel more like a real castle.Hollingsworth said that, because there were no regulations in Australia specifically for a keep, the family had to call the space an attic. This was his explanation, rather than an independently verified statement about Australian building regulations. At the rear of the property is a dungeon-style games room. Fake skeletons hang inside in leg irons and chains from Pentridge Prison, according to ABC. Hollingsworth told ABC that he had never built a moat before and had to learn as he went.
3D-printed gargoyles that release water when it rains complete the unusual castle-style home
Richard’s brother Nicholas designed and 3D-printed the gargoyles, which release water from their mouths when it rains. Hollingsworth, who had worked as a builder for more than five decades, told ABC that this was his first castle. Hollingsworth and Richard are neighbours, reflecting the family’s close ties. Richard and his wife moved into the property a few months before ABC published its report in December 2025. The building’s unusual appearance has the potential to make it a minor tourist attraction, ABC reported, although the article did not establish that it had become a visitor destination. For the family, its main purpose is more personal. The castle provides Richard and his wife with a home, gives the brothers a place to run their tabletop war-gaming business and brings their shared enthusiasm for medieval fantasy into their everyday surroundings. What began as a proposal for a business headquarters became a distinctive castle-style home for Richard and his wife, while also providing space for the brothers’ tabletop war-gaming business.
